Armed helicopters to patrol Strip on holiday

Jace Radke

Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003 | 11:25 a.m.

Armed military helicopters will patrol the Strip on New Year's Eve to protect the expected 350,000 revelers from a potential terrorist attack, officials said this morning.

"The intelligence over the last year and a half has made it clear that large open air gatherings could be targets, so I believe it is prudent and wise that we control that air space," Sheriff Bill Young said at a press conference this morning.

The Air National Guard and Marine helicopter gunships "are going to be very visible to the crowd," he said, adding that officials with Nellis Air Force Base will be on stand-by.

Metro Police on Monday requested flight restrictions over the Strip and they expect the Homeland Security Department to approve the restrictions today.

Temporary flight restrictions, creating a no-fly zone radiating out about 10 nautical miles from the airport, will be in effect from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., prohibiting other helicopters, private planes and general aviation aircraft from flying over the Strip.

The flight restrictions would effectively ground planes and helicopters at municipal airports in North Las Vegas and Henderson. While commercial airlines, military and law enforcement aircraft are exempt from temporary flight restrictions, McCarran would not be able to allow private planes to land or takeoff for the duration of the restrictions.

Anyone violating the restrictions could get a close up view of military or law enforcement aircraft that could be scrambled to escort any violators out of the restricted area. Penalties for violating a temporary flight restriction range from a fine to pilot license revocation depending on the circumstances, Walker said.

Nevada Homeland Security Director Jerry Bussell said that security for commercial airlines will be handled by the Transportation Security Administration and air marshals.

No-fly zones were planned for Chicago, New York and Washington as well as the Disney theme parks and sites of major sporting events.

Gov. Kenny Guinn said that there is no new information of any kind of specific threats against Las Vegas, but he acknowledged that in the past Las Vegas has been mentioned along with other cities as possible attack sites.

"We are proactively taking every precaution to protect our residents and our guests," he said. "We have no information about a specific threat."

The no-fly zone is one of the precautions being taken in the wake of reports of possible terror activity, including a Washington Post story stating that Air France flights from Paris to Los Angeles may have been part of a hijacking plot aimed at Las Vegas or other cities.

While local, state and federal authorities dispute that report, Metro is still gearing up for its busiest night of the year.

"We have a pretty good plan in place, and every available officer will be working," Metro Deputy Chief Carl Fruge said. "We'll work with the county and other agencies to ensure that it's a great party and a safe party."

As many as 300,000 people are expected to be on the Strip for New Year's, up 3.5 percent from the 2002 celebration, officials with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said.

Hotels are expected to be 99.1 percent full for the annual celebration that includes a midnight fireworks display and the closing of the Strip to vehicles when the crowds start to spill off the sidewalks.

Metro Police will rely on 3 1/2-feet-high metal barricades, horses and hundreds of officers to control the crowds.

Another precaution being taken this year is that authorities are asking that backpacks, satchels and large bags not be brought to the Strip or to the Fremont Street Experience. Anyone carrying these types of bags will be subject to searches by Metro officers, Fruge said.

As in past years, cans and bottles are banned from the celebration.

The Strip will eventually be shut down to automobile traffic from Russell Road to Sahara Avenue, and off-ramps from Interstate 15 to Las Vegas Boulevard between Russell and Sahara will also be closed as the crowd grows. Instead of blocking some access points with flares, and police motorcycles, barricades will be used at some intersections this year.

Downtown the emergency operations center at the Clark County Government Center will, as usual, be the command post for Metro Police and other local authorities Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

The FBI's local emergency operations center has been staffed and running since Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge moved the security level from yellow to orange on Dec. 21.

It isn't unusual for the FBI to staff a command center during New Year's in Las Vegas, but not at the scale that an orange alert requires, FBI spokesman Todd Palmer said.

Security has been tightened in and around Las Vegas over the past week.

At Hoover Dam vehicle checks have been stepped up on the Nevada and Arizona sides of the structure. Boat patrols are upstream and downstream of the dam on the Colorado River, and tractor-trailers, full-sized buses and large recreational vehicles continue to be banned from crossing the dam. Additional searches of vehicles and added security patrols are signs that security has increased at McCarran International Airport, where about 15 additional Metro officers have been assigned.

Terrorism has been linked to Las Vegas in the past, with five of the hijackers involved in the Sept. 11 attacks visiting Las Vegas during the summer of 2001. Also, alleged members of a terrorist sleeper cell who were arrested in Detroit reportedly had videotape of the MGM Grand and Disneyland.